Doves fly above members of the audience at the end of a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. China kicked off a huge military ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II on September 3, as major Western leaders

Chinese paramilitary police stand guard near Tiananmen Square on Wednesday in Beijing. Twenty-five years ago on this day Chinese troops cracked down on pro-democracy protesters and in the clashes that followed scores were killed and injured.

Workers clean black marks off the portrait of China‘s late leader Mao Zedong at the main entrance of the Forbidden City near the Great Hall of the People where the National People’s Congress is taking place, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing

China’s National Meteorological Centre issued a “yellow” smog alert for much of the country’s north, the fifth consecutive day of heavy pollution that has cut visibility and seen pollution reach hazardous levels, affecting areas such as Tiananmen Square (above) in Beijing.

Workers install a giant vase containing fruit and flowers as part of the upcoming Chinese National day celebrations at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Tuesday. The seven-day holiday sees millions of members of China’s newly wealthy and mobile middle-class travel locally and abroad.